Max Reger believed his Op. 67 chorale preludes were unmatched since J.S. Bach, a sentiment echoed by critics and musicologists who called them "monuments of German tonal artistry."
Performer Biography
Gerhard Weinberger, the organist on this album, received the German Record Critics Prize in 2009 for his complete recording of Bach's organ works on historical instruments.
Instruments
The Sauer Organ (1904) in the Michaeliskirche in Leipzig, built by Wilhelm Sauer, is considered one of his most valuable large instruments, having been spared in both world wars.
Composition History
Max Reger's Fifty-two easy preludes on the most common Lutheran chorales Op. 67 was intended to be a collection of 30 chorale preludes but grew to 52.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Max Reger aimed to secularize the organ and establish it as a concert instrument, as evidenced by compositions like his Scherzo (No. 9) from Op. 69.
Critical Reception
Max Reger's Monologe Op. 63 was criticized by the periodical Musica sacra for depicting "ugliness" and "discord" in church music, arguing it had no right to be played in church.
Composer Biography
Max Reger, the composer, considered Otto Becker and Walter Fischer to be his "Berlin apostles," dedicating his Ten Pieces for Organ Op. 69 to them.
